Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uluwatu, Bali and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,692 in Uluwatu, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Uluwatu, Bali
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Uluwatu, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Uluwatu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uluwatu, Bali and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Uluwatu, Bali and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Uluwatu, Bali vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uluwatu, Bali $1,692
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,873 per month in Uluwatu, Bali vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uluwatu, Bali $2,873
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in Uluwatu, Bali vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Uluwatu, Bali $4,054
Chiang Mai $1,914

Uluwatu, Bali costs about 80% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Uluwatu, Bali sits 25% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 Rp 70.9K

$2.26 ฿75.4

74.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.05 Rp 757.0K

$19.18 ฿641

119.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.72 Rp 120.9K

$5.59 ฿187

20.21%

Cappuccino

$3.25 Rp 58.5K

$1.72 ฿57.6

88.95%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 Rp 37.5K

$0.64 ฿21.54

226.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

$0.33 ฿11.18

184.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 Rp 56.6K

$2.36 ฿78.7

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 Rp 97.9K

$3.90 ฿130

39.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 Rp 42.9K

$1.40 ฿46.70

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.28 ฿42.89

0.78%

Eggs

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

$2.25 ฿75.3

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 Rp 334.5K

$16.94 ฿566

9.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 Rp 75.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

52.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 Rp 232.5K

$9.36 ฿313

38.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 Rp 66.9K

$2.40 ฿80.3

55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Rp 29.8K

$1.01 ฿33.92

64.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 Rp 44.6K

$1.61 ฿53.9

54.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$1.52 ฿50.7

32.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 35.0K

$1.28 ฿42.90

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 Rp 45.5K

$1.11 ฿37.22

127.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

$0.72 ฿24.09

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,237

$0.52 ฿17.54

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 Rp 42.6K

$4.33 ฿145

-45.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.90 Rp 430.2K

$17.73 ฿593

34.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 Rp 44.7K

$1.63 ฿54.4

52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

$2.85 ฿95.3

10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 Rp 5,310

$0.85 ฿28.31

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 Rp 185.1K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-80.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 Rp 10.8K

$1.17 ฿39.18

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 Rp 9,437

$0.57 ฿19.00

-8.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

$2.37 ฿79.2

14.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-24.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.9K Rp 538.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

46.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.6K Rp 712.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

49.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$89.3 Rp 1.6M

$62.3 ฿2,083

43.19%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.09 Rp 127.7K

$12.27 ฿410

-42.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.79 Rp 374.2K

$19.97 ฿668

4.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

$37.91 ฿1,267

67.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.80 Rp 374.5K

$3.76 ฿126

453.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 Rp 90.1K

$6.71 ฿224

-25.34%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$797 ฿26.6K

-29.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,562 Rp 118.1M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-55.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.97 Rp 899.5K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.06 Rp 685.1K

$25.05 ฿837

51.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 Rp 1.6M

$91.6 ฿3,062

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 Rp 1.6M

$73.5 ฿2,455

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 Rp 27.3M

$464 ฿15.5K

227.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$933 Rp 16.8M

$305 ฿10.2K

206.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,875 Rp 87.7M

$915 ฿30.6K

432.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 Rp 41.8M

$552 ฿18.5K

320.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,738 Rp 67.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

95.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,108 Rp 55.9M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

116.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Uluwatu, Bali: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Uluwatu, Bali

$933 55.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 67.3% $628

Groceries & Markets

Uluwatu, Bali

$306 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 22.3% $68

Eating Out

Uluwatu, Bali

$129 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 38.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Uluwatu, Bali

$119 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 7.8% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uluwatu, Bali

$117 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Uluwatu, Bali

$74 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 30.3% $22

Getting Around

Uluwatu, Bali

$15 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 318% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,518 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Uluwatu, Bali versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Uluwatu, Bali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h behind Uluwatu, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Uluwatu, Bali Chiang Mai 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Uluwatu, Bali
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Uluwatu, Bali vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uluwatu, Bali costs about 80% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Uluwatu, Bali and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $560 per month in Uluwatu, Bali and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Uluwatu, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Uluwatu, Bali at $1,692. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Uluwatu, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,692 in Uluwatu, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Uluwatu, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.